How to make Salsa Verde Enchiladas Sauce
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Alex Caspero is a Registered Dietitian, New York Times Bestselling Plant-Based Chef and mom of two. She aims to cut through the nutrition noise by providing real-life, nourishing tips for body and mind. Learn more about Alex.
Vegetarian Enchiladas Verdes! If you like enchiladas, then you’ve gotta try these salsa verde enchiladas! Homemade roasted tomatillo and chili sauce with mushroom, spinach and bean filling. Topped with spicy pepperjack cheese!
I’ve figured out the secret to creating the best enchiladas at home… making your own enchilada sauce!
For years I couldn’t figure out why I didn’t love enchiladas; everything that should be there was. Carbs, check. Yummy filling, check. Spice, check. Cheese, check. I’m completely ga-ga over tacos, but thought enchiladas were completely overrated.
Then, I made my own enchilada sauce a few years ago and everything changed. Ready in just 10 minutes, I put that sauce on just about everything: fajita enchiladas, quinoa enchiladas, spinach enchiladas
Since we all love that sauce so much, I figured it was time to make a vegetarian enchiladas verdes version.
How to make Salsa Verde Enchiladas Sauce
Just like my homemade red enchilada sauce, this one is big on flavor but easy on prep. It’s what takes these vegetarian enchiladas verdes completely over the top in terms of flavor and a must in my opinion.
Throw tomatillos, jalapeños and poblano peppers on a sheet pan- drizzle with oil and spices, then roast until softened. Add that to a blender with a handful of other ingredients and you’ve got a creamy, spicy enchiladas verdes sauce that you’ll wanna eat with a spoon.
To continue with the green theme, I sautéed mushrooms until they were browned, then stirred in white beans and plenty of spinach. Smothered in sauce and pepperjack cheese, these salsa verde enchiladas are what weeknight dinner dreams are made of.
I’ve made these vegetarian enchiladas verdes three times now and… I think I prefer them with corn tortillas better. The flour tortillas are just a little too soft. Unless you plan on eating them right away, then I might prefer the flour just as much.
However, if you are planning on making these and freezing them or, making them and reheating- then I prefer a corn/flour blend. Trader Joe’s makes a great one.
For my dairy-free friends, I tried making these without the cheese and honestly, I think the cheese adds so much flavor and texture. You can try leaving it out all together, but I might suggest trying a dairy-free once instead. Daiya has a good shredded cheese that I like on enchiladas.
If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag your Instagram photos with #delishknowledge . I absolutely love seeing your creations. Happy cooking!
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Vegetarian Enchiladas Verdes
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8 enchiladas 1x
- Category: dinner, main, healthy
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: Mexican, Vegetarian
Description
Vegetarian Enchiladas Verdes! If you like salsa verde enchiladas, then you’ve gotta try these! Homemade roasted tomatillo and chili sauce with mushroom, spinach and bean filling. Topped with spicy pepperjack cheese!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8 enchiladas 1x
- Category: dinner, main, healthy
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: Mexican, Vegetarian
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8 enchiladas 1x
- Category: dinner, main, healthy
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: Mexican, Vegetarian
Scale
Ingredients
Homemade Enchilada Verde Sauce
- 15 medium-size tomatillos, husks removed and washed
- 3 jalapeño peppers, halved (seeds removed, if desired- see notes)
- 1 poblano pepper, halved (seeds removed, if desired- see notes)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup fresh packed cilantro leaves
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons slivered almonds
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Enchiladas Verde Filling
- 10 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 1 (15 ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 6 ounce baby spinach
- 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese, divided
- 8, ~8 inch tortillas, corn or flour (I prefer Trader Joe’s corn/wheat flour combo, but both will work. I think flour tends to get too soggy in enchiladas.)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the tomatillos, jalapenos, poblano pepper on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil and a pinch of salt. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring halfway to prevent burning.
- Remove baking sheet and place everything in a blender or food processor (along with juices!). Pulse a few times to just combine, then add in the garlic, cilantro, vegetable broth, almonds and salt. Puree or blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and add the mushrooms along with another pinch of salt. Cook, until mushrooms are browned, about 5-10 minutes. Add in the cumin and white beans and stir to heat through. Add in the spinach, 1/2 cup of the sauce and cook until spinach is just wilted. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese.
- Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Pour a light layer of sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish. Place filling on tortillas, roll up and arrange in pan, seam side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Cover with remaining sauce and remaining cheese. Bake for 15 minutes until golden brown on top and cheese is bubbly!
- Remove, let cool for just a few minutes, then serve.
Notes
I left two jalapeños whole and one halved, which proved the perfect amount of spicy heat! But, as we’ve established many times on this blog- I like this spicy. If you don’t, then I recommend removing the seeds from all of the jalapeños.
did you make this?
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If you like these salsa verde enchiladas, then you’ll love my other enchilada recipes: Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas, Instant Pot Quinoa Enchiladas, Veggie Fajita Enchiladas and Zucchini Enchiladas.
(15 comments) leave a comment
This recipe has become a staple in our house and we LOVE IT. To cut down on time I buy a 14oz can of green enchilada sauce. I also like to broil at the end to get the cheese bubbly and browned! I usually add diced onion and some chili powder to add some more filler and flavor.
★★★★★
So glad to hear!
I’ve made this several times; definitely a keeper! Never would have thought to add white beans in enchiladas, but they are so creamy and delicious with the spinach and salsa verse. 🙂
★★★★★
Do you have any other veggie recommendations to substitute the mushrooms?
I think any vegetable that you like in place of the mushrooms would work great here! Extra zucchini, summer squash, peppers, etc.
Can’t wait to make this for dinner. I’m nervous it won’t be hearty enough for my husband. Are there other vegetables to add you recommend? Or maybe just double the veggies already in the recipe? I’ve never made a verde enchilada so not sure what flavor would work. Thanks
Yes! You could double the vegetables. Though, the beans in this provide both fiber and protein, so they should be filling enough.
I made this (but neglected to take a photo). It turned out great and the sauce was super easy to make. This recipe is a keeper!
Thanks Kate! So glad you liked it. xo
At what point would this be frozen (before or after baking) and what temp/time do you recommend for baking a frozen version? I’m really looking forward to making this for a friend.
Hi Sharon- you can either bake before freezing or have them bake straight from frozen. I usually recommend assembling and then cooking from frozen but I’ve done both! TO FREEZE: Cover enchiladas tightly with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Freeze up to 3 months. To bake, remove plastic wrap, recover with aluminum and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until completely cooked through.
I would like to make these for a friend who is allergic to garlic and onions….makes it a bit trickier? Any suggestions on substitutions to add flavor?
Hi Sarah; I feel for your friend as so many recipes (especially mine!) are filled with garlic and onion. I’d recommend bumping up the other flavors in the sauce to add flavor, as that’s what onion and garlic primarily do in this dish. Let me know how it turns out!
Hi Alex,
I have read this recipe three times and I can’t figure out where the 2 Tbsp. slivered almonds go. I just made the sauce but worry that I should have pureed them along with everything else.
Michelle
Hi MIchelle- forgot to add them. They were supposed to go into the sauce, but it’s OK if you omitted them- it should still work!